Tafsir of Al Imran 3:52

It has been said: It is possible that all of this is from the angels, as an explanation of a part of it, entering under the imperative "say." It is also possible that the speech concluded at the words of the Exalted, "(and a messenger to the Children of Israel)," and that "(that I have come to you...)" is not connected to what precedes it and is not included under the imperative. In that case, the omitted part would be: "So Isa came, just as Allah the Exalted gave glad tidings, as a messenger, and not [merely] to the Children of Israel, [saying]: 'That I have come to you with a sign from your Lord'." The fa (so) here would then be explanatory of the implied [meaning] mentioned there, according to the second interpretation.

The root of "sensing" (al-ihsas) is perception through one of the five apparent senses. Here, it has been used as a consequential metaphor (isti'arah taba'iyyah) for knowledge, without doubt. It is also said that it is a figurative expression (majaz mursal) for that, by mentioning the cause and intending the effect; the justification for this is that disbelief is not something that is sensed. The argument that it refers to sensing the traces of disbelief is invalid. What is meant by "disbelief" is their persistence in it and their insolence, coupled with a firm resolve to inflict harm upon him, peace be upon him. It has been authenticated that he, peace be upon him, encountered many hardships from the Jews—may Allah the Exalted fight them.

Ishaq bin Bishr and Ibn 'Asakir narrated through various chains from Ibn 'Abbas—may Allah be pleased with both of them—who said: The Jews would gather around Isa, peace be upon him, mocking him and saying: "O Isa, what did so-and-so eat last night, and what did he store in his house for tomorrow?" He would inform them, and they would mock him for it, until this became prolonged for him and them. Isa, peace be upon him, had no fixed residence or known location; he was merely a traveler on earth. One day, he passed by a woman sitting at a grave, weeping. He asked her, and she said: "My daughter died, and I had no other child." Isa prayed two rak'ahs, then called out: "O so-and-so, arise by the permission of the Merciful!" The grave stirred. He called a second time, and the grave cracked open. He called a third time, and she emerged, shaking the dirt from her head. She said: "O mother, what drove you to make me taste the agony of death twice? O mother, be patient and seek reward, for I have no need of this world. O Spirit of Allah, ask my Lord to return me to the afterlife and to ease the agony of death for me." He called upon his Lord, and He took her back to Him, and the earth leveled over her. This reached the Jews, and their anger against him increased.

Mujahid narrated that they wanted to kill him, which is why he sought the support of his people. The [particle] min (from) denotes the beginning of the end-point and is connected to ahassa (sensed); that is, the sensing began from their direction. Abu al-Baqa' allowed that it could be connected to an omitted [adverbial] state (hal) from the "disbelief," meaning: "When he sensed disbelief while it was emanating from them."

(He said: "Who are my helpers for Allah?") The ones addressed are the disciples (al-hawariyyun), as indicated by the surah of As-Saff ("as Isa, son of Maryam, said to the disciples..."). That they were all the Children of Israel—based on the words of the Exalted, "So a party of the Children of Israel believed and a party disbelieved"—is invalid, for the verse is not a definitive proof for that claim; it suffices for the realization of the division that the call reached everyone.

Ansar (helpers) is the plural of nasir (helper), like ashraf (nobles) is the plural of sharif (noble). Some said it is the plural of nasr, but Abu al-Baqa' weakened this unless one assumes an omitted [genitive] construct, such as "possessor of my help," or treats it as a verbal noun used as a descriptor. The prepositional phrase is either connected to an omitted state referring to the ya (first-person suffix), which is the object of the verb in meaning—the meaning being "Who will help me while I am seeking refuge with Allah, or going toward Allah?"—or it is connected to ansari (my helpers), incorporating the meaning of attribution, i.e., "Who are those who attribute themselves to Allah in helping me?"

In Al-Kashshaf, in the explanation of Surah As-Saff, there is a summary that contradicts what is mentioned here, which is that the attribution of "helpers" to the ya is an attribution of association, meaning "those who are my companions and participants in my turning toward the help of Allah, the Exalted," so that their response—which follows—might correspond. It is not correct that the meaning is "Who will help me with Allah," due to a lack of correspondence. The response to this is that the lack of correspondence is not conceded, for "the help of Allah" in the reply is not taken literally; rather, a metaphorical meaning or an ellipsis is necessary in their helping Allah. The [particle] ila (to/toward) being in the sense of ma'a (with) is not free from criticism. Al-Farra' mentioned that it only takes that meaning when one thing is added to another, such as "a load to a load [becomes] a camel." If you say "Zayd came, and with him is wealth," you do not say "and to him is wealth." Thus, safety from this interpretation, with its inclusion of fewer ellipses, is preferable. Some chose the meaning of "for" for min here, and others the meaning of "in."

In Al-Kashf, it states: Perhaps the most likely meaning of the verse—and Allah knows best—is that it should be interpreted as "Who will help me, with my help ending in Allah," as the particle of end-point (ila) implies, without [requiring] inclusion. It is as if he, peace be upon him, asked them to help him for the sake of Allah, not for any other purpose, merging the idea that the help of Allah is found in the help of His messenger. Their reply, recounted by Him, the Glorified, saying: "The disciples said: 'We are the helpers of Allah'," is in perfect correspondence to it, as if they said: "We are your helpers because it is the help of Allah for the reason you indicated." Had they said in its place, "We are your helpers," it would not have held this position.

You know that making ila mean "for" or "in" as causal factors achieves the request of the Messiah in a way that is perhaps less burdensome than what was mentioned. Perhaps the preference for this [causal interpretation] is due to what Az-Zajjal said: that it is not permitted to say that some particles of meaning are synonymous with others; however, two particles may approach each other in utility, so one weak in linguistics might think their meaning is one, while it is not. Let this be understood.

Al-hawariyyun is the plural of hawari. It is said: "So-and-so is the hawari of so-and-so," meaning his intimate companion and helper. Hawari is not a plural like karasi, as some falsely imagined; rather, it is a singular, fully declinable noun, as stated by the researchers. Allamah Taftazani mentioned that it is singular and its alif is from the changes made in relative attribution. The objection is that when the alif is added in relative attribution, the ya is lightened in the most eloquent form in such instances, whereas hawari is different because lightening its ya is anomalous, as they have stated. It is recited that way in the verse. Its root is from tahwir, meaning whitening—from which comes al-khubz al-hawari (pure white bread), which is sifted time after time. Hawariyyat refers to urban women, because whiteness dominates them due to not being exposed to the sun. Hawari is also applied to a fuller (laundry worker) because he whitens clothes. It is in the Nabataean language—pronounced ari—stated by Ad-Dahhak.

There is a difference of opinion regarding the reason these people were named this: It is said they were named such due to the whiteness of their clothes (narrated from Sa'id bin Jubayr). It is said because they were fullers who whitened clothes for people (narrated from Muqatil and others). It is said it is for the purity of their hearts and the cleanliness of their character—to which the words of Qatadah point.

There is also a difference in identifying from which groups of people they were. It is said they were a group of fishermen, among them Ya'qub, Sham'un, and Yuhanna. Isa, peace be upon him, passed by them and said: "You catch fish; if you follow me, you will become [those who] catch people for eternal life." They said to him: "Who are you?" He said: "Isa, son of Maryam, the servant of Allah and His messenger." They asked him for a miracle. Sham'un had thrown his net that night and caught nothing, so Isa, peace be upon him, ordered him to throw it into the water again. He did, and caught what filled two boats. At that, they believed in him.

It is said they were twelve men, or twenty-nine from the common people, who followed Isa, peace be upon him. When they were hungry, they would say: "O Spirit of Allah, we are hungry." He would strike the earth with his hand, and two loaves would emerge for each. When they were thirsty, they would say: "We are thirsty." He would strike the earth with his hand, and water would emerge, and they would drink. They said: "Who is better than us? When we wish, you feed us, and when we wish, you give us drink. We have believed in you." He said: "Better than you is he who works with his hands and eats from his earnings." They began to wash clothes for hire and eat.

It is said one of the kings prepared a feast and gathered people. Isa, peace be upon him, was by a bowl, and the bowl would not decrease. The king noticed this and went to him with his relatives and asked: "Who are you?" He said: "Isa, son of Maryam." The king said: "I am abandoning my kingdom and following you." So he and his relatives followed him; those were the hawariyyun.

It is said his mother gave him to a dyer. Whenever the dyer wanted to teach him something, he found him more knowledgeable than himself. One day, the dyer went away and said to him: "Here are various clothes, and I have placed a mark on each; dye them with those colors." Isa, peace be upon him, cooked all the dyes in one vat and placed all the clothes in it, saying: "Be by the permission of Allah as I wish." The dyer returned, and he told him what he had done. He said: "You have ruined the clothes for me!" He replied: "Rise and look." He would pull out a red garment, a green one, and a yellow one, just as he had wished. Those present marveled at him and believed in him, and they were the hawariyyun.

A group reported from Al-Qaffal that it is permissible that some of them were kings, some fishermen, some fullers, some dyers, and some from the rest of the people, and they were all called hawariyyun because they were helpers of Isa, peace be upon him, and sincere in their love and obedience to him.

Regarding the derivation, regardless of how they were, it is either a literal derivation or a metaphorical one, which is more fitting for the status of those helpers. It is said it is derived from hara, meaning "returned"—from which is the word of the Exalted: "Indeed, he thought he would never return (yahur)." It is as if they were named such because of their return to Allah, the Exalted.

Some people interpreted hawari as a "fighter" (mujahid). If "fighting" refers to what is immediately understood by it, this is problematic, as it is not authentically established that Isa, peace be upon him, was ordered to do so. Some claimed it, citing the words of the Exalted: "So a party of the Children of Israel believed and a party disbelieved; so We supported those who believed against their enemy, and they became dominant." It is not hidden that the verse is not a definitive text for the intended meaning, as it is possible that "support" implies support through arguments and the exaltation of the word [of truth]. If "fighting" refers to the jihad of the soul by forcing it to swallow the bitterness of obligations, it is not problematic. Indeed, it was questioned: if Isa, peace be upon him, was not commanded to fight, what is the meaning of his request for helpers? It was answered that when he, peace be upon him, knew the Jews wanted to kill him, he sought support for protection from them, as Hassan and Mujahid said, and he did not seek support to fight them over the faith he brought. This is what was not commanded, not that [the protection]. Indeed, it may even be claimed that [seeking protection] is commanded, due to the obligation of preserving life. It has been narrated that when the Jews sought him to kill him, he said to the disciples: "Which of you would like to be my companion in Paradise, in exchange for taking my likeness and being killed in my place?" One of them answered him. In some Gospels, it is mentioned that when the Jews took Isa, peace be upon him, Sham'un drew his sword and struck a slave who was among them, belonging to a great rabbi, and cut off his ear. Isa, peace be upon him, said to him: "Enough." Then he touched the slave's ear and returned it to its place, and it became as it was.

It is also said it is permissible that the request for support was to enable the establishment of arguments and to distinguish the supporter from the opponent. That does not require an order for jihad, just as our Prophet, the soul of the body of existence—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was commanded. That is what is apparent to one who is fair. The "helpers of Allah" means the helpers of His religion and His messenger, and their aides, according to what is well-known.

(We believe in Allah) This is the basis for that claim, functioning as its cause.

(And bear witness) is a conjunction to "(We believe)." The difference between them—[the former being] a declarative act and [the latter] an imperative act—does not cause harm, as has been established in its proper place. It is also said that "We believe" is [also] an inception of faith, so there is no difference.

(That we are Muslims), i.e., submissive to what You desire from us. Included in this, primarily, is their helping him. Or [it means]: "Our religion is Islam, which is the religion of the prophets before you," which is a confession, in meaning, of the prophethood of those who preceded him, peace be upon him. This is a request from them for his testimony, peace be upon him, for them on the Day of Judgment, when the messengers will testify for their people and against them, signaling—as Al-Karkhi said—that the target of their goal is the happiness of the Hereafter. In [Surah] Al-Ma'idah, it came as "that we [are believers/Muslims]," because what is there, as it is said, is the beginning of the disciples' speech, so it came according to the original; and what is here is a repetition of it in meaning, so brevity was appropriate here, because each of [brevity and repetition] is a secondary form, and the secondary form is more appropriate with the secondary.